The Rangers aren’t far from the top of the standings, but that is more a factor of their placement in the utterly mediocre Atlantic Division than a credit to their uninspired play.

And coach Tom Renney knows that.

When asked to pinpoint some problems certain players were facing during the early part of this season, Renney chose to look at the bigger picture.

“Look at our team,” Renney said after the team practiced yesterday. “There’s work to be done everywhere. Pick a name, pick anything.”

Pick defense.

The Blueshirts have certainly struggled with this part of the game and haven’t shown much improvement. In the third period of Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win in Toronto, for instance, they were outshot 15-3.

That’s part of the reason, at least, why Renney shuffled defensive pairings around a bit yesterday as the team adjusts to the return of Sandis Ozolinsh and is now carrying eight defensemen.

Renney said he was unsure of what he would do for tomorrow’s game at the Garden against the Panthers, or their upcoming road trip.

“I’m in the process of sorting it out,” Renney said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do yet.”

Holding up Renney’s decision, at least in part, is Ozolinsh’s lack of playing time. Yesterday, he skated with Karel Rachunek, while Michal Rozsival and Fedor Tyutin were put together, along with Darius Kasparaitis and Aaron Ward, as well as Marek Malik and Thomas Pock.

Pock, among the youngest and cheapest of the bunch, is a candidate to be sent down to Hartford, but could be claimed by another team if the Rangers try to send him to the AHL.

Renney, however, didn’t rule out that possibility, since Pock’s ice time figures to be reduced.

“It’s a consideration,” Renney said. “Tommy’s one of those guys who has good AHL experience and he gives us some depth on the back end as we sort through this. If it appears [that he will get] minimal minutes, that’s counterproductive.”

Before Renney does anything, however, he still needs to see just what Ozolinsh is bringing to the team. There is a chance that all eight defensemen remain with the team.

“I need to give myself a chance to make an informed decision on where [Ozolinsh] is,” Renney said.

As for the player who sets up behind the defense, Henrik Lundqvist said that it doesn’t matter to him who’s on the defense.

“It doesn’t affect me,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously, if they are comfortable with each other, they’ll play better together, but that’s it.”